Mother/daughter duo hope to inspire others to adopt vegan lifestyle

Dee Dee Wike, at left, and her daughter Joy Wike are the operators of the vegan lifestyle blog “Feeling Veggie Good.” They provide their readers with vegan recipes, a list of retail products not tested on animals, links to information and documentaries, and more. They participated in the last Smithfield Pig Save and have plans to raise funds and volunteer for vegan activist groups in the future. Photo by Peter J. Teagle

Given the popularity of summer favorites like hamburgers and hot dogs, many people would find the idea of a vegan diet challenging. However, one mother/daughter pair from Gloucester Point is forgoing animal products in favor of a natural, plant-based diet, all the while documenting their journey to healthy living.

Mom Dee Dee Wike and daughter Joy Wike are practicing vegans. They have started a group called “Feeling Veggie Good” with both an online blog and Facebook page to “raise awareness of the many problems of animal abuse present in factory farming as well as the benefits of a vegan diet and lifestyle.”

The pair’s mission began following a family vacation to the family’s home state of Tennessee.

After meals of southern-fried catfish and traditional Memphis barbecue, Joy encouraged her mother to watch a documentary called “Vegucated,” which explores both the vegan lifestyle and factory farming.

“I had begun watching my diet after a bad checkup,” Dee Dee Wike said, “but documentaries like these got my attention, especially to the kind of abuse that goes into producing our food supply.” Upon finishing the film, the pair decided to commit to a vegan diet and share their journey in the form of their blog, feelingveggiegood.com.

The blog features vegan meal ideas, a list of cruelty-free household products, and links to documentaries and information. According to the two, “a lot of people become vegans because of their concerns over animal welfare. Our approach is three-pronged because we focus on the health benefits, environmental impact and the humane side of a vegan lifestyle.”

Since the inception of their blog, the mother/daughter pair has expanded their mission to include activism, participating in the Smithfield Pig Save. This event “aims to maintain a peaceful approach while bearing witness to pigs at the end of their journey to the slaughterhouse,” according to the organization’s website. “All the vegans I met were normal people,” Joy said of her experience at the Smithfield Pig Save. “We didn’t scream and yell. We just held signs.”

She said that in her experience most vegans are not as outspoken or militant as the vocal minority that many people imagine upon hearing the term “vegan.” Dee Dee highlighted the importance of this type of work, saying “If people were aware of the greenhouse gases and environmental effects as well as the cruelty present in factory farms they would view veganism differently.” She continued, “I’m not going to tie myself to a pig truck or anything like that, but people need to be aware of what is going on.”